Visit Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa from April 1

Add the Kingdom to your must-see list with the loosened visa rules and lots of upcoming developments

You may have already been to Saudi on business, but the country is about to open up its arms to welcome tourists as well. From April 1, 2018, the Kingdom is ushering in a new age of tourism through easier visa rules (the tourist visa can be obtained electronically) and allowing younger (from the age of 25), unaccompanied women to visit as tourists.

This is all part of Saudi Arabia’s plan to attract 30 million visitors per year by 2030 - nearly doubling its current numbers. In additional to the new tourist visa, Jeddah – what will presumably become a hotspot for beach holidays and diving enthusiasts – is planning to open a new airport from this summer, a Six Flags theme park is in developments in an “entertainment city” south of Riyadh and numerous resorts along the Red Sea are in the pipeline (including an enormous Maldives-like project on the Red Sea’s islands).

With an ancient history and dramatic desert landscapes, there’s also much to see that’s not new, from the Nabatean site of Mada’in Saleh, which with its rock-cut tombs, will tempt travelers who have seen and loved Petra.

Newly welcomed travellers should always be mindful of the culture and read up on customs ahead of arrival. Places such as Mecca and Medina will remain closed off to non-Muslim visitors.